Calcium reactors...help...

B

bimmer88

Member
So i'm finally thinking of picking up one of these calc reactors... i've been dosing b-ionic two part the whole time but i'm looking for a more efficient way of keeping my alk and calc in check... i've got a 180 gallon tank... i know absolutely nothing about how these calc reactors work... i don't have any more space inside my sump.. can i place it outside the sump? What's the best brand/model for a 180 gal tank?? i don't mind spending a bit more for a quality model.. i've read about defective reactors that have caused tanks to crash... would appreciate any tips in purchasing one... TIA...
 
There are a number of high quality reactors, and most are very easy to set up and get running. I've got an H&S available if you're interested, and have also used a Barr Aquatic/Austin Oceans reactor. Good things are said about the Aqua-C and Geo's as well. Some, like the H&S, can be set up externally to save space in the sump.
After the reactor itself, you'll just need a regulator(I highly recommend Aquarium Plants brand) and a bottle of CO2.
 
+1. I'd also highly recommend a really good circ pump. I love my Pan World 10. It was about $75 shipped, super efficient and built like a tank. I just use a MJ1200 to feed mine. I was intimidated by the whole thing, but it's really nice.

It took me a few minutes of staring at one to figure out that the circ pump circulates the water and the feed pump creates pressure so that the output drips out some water.

Now that I have one, I'm not sure how I'd crash the system with it. Maybe if it stopped working?

Ron
 
I have a 180 as well.

I have an AquaC RX-1 and its nice. Geo's are nice, H&S and I even have good luck with my Precision Marine that I run on my shallow.

The key for me is the regulator, or way to control how much CO2 gets released into the media chamber. I will NEVER set up another system without the regulator from Aquarium plants.com. Yes, it is more. But the peace of mind is worth it.

I feed my reactor from my return pump with a John Guest valve. No extra pump needed. I also do not use a PH monitor. I'm old school and just control my tanks alkalinity through a slow steady bubble count. For me, its just one less piece of equipment that needed to be recalibrated every 6 months. I used to run a PH monitor until I got the hang of it and then ventured away.

Saying all of this, You could also just get a doser and dose two part.

Good luck.
 
I also did away with the pH monitor, preferring to just control the effluent rate or bubble count as I was testing the parameters anyhow. It may take a couple of weeks to get it dialed in, but it's easy sailing after that, pretty much the same as setting up the right dosing amount.
 
The pH probe is my way of ensuring that the pH doesn't get too low and that the reactor is still working right, but I do agree with the point that it's not really very necessary.

You don't run a circ pump on the reactor Mark? It seems like it would make the reactor much more effective, and it's only 10W continuous.

Ron
 
Nope, The AquaC has its own eheim but to feed the reactor, I just tee'd off from my ATB return.
 
Thanks for the replies guys... Does that H&S reactor work pretty good? How much are you askin for it? I'm not sure what those things are that you guys are telling me to buy... sounds like a foreign language to me... heheh... i'll just pick it up and figure it out afterwards :P
 
ok... so i bought Jeremy's reactor and I'm trying to figure out more how these things work and I'm a bit confused by what I'm reading... i've been reading up at this page on melev's site:

http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html

-According to his page, the CO2 lowers the PH and causes the media to dissolve(which is supposed to raise my alkalinity)... however, he mentions that what drips out of the reactor is at a PH of 6.5-6.9... my tank's PH is 8.2... if what it's putting out is lower on the PH scale, wouldn't this be lowering my alkalinity instead??? higher PH means higher alkalinity and lower PH means more acidic right???

-I'm more confused about what a PH probe is after reading his page... prior to reading it, i just thought a PH probe is something that displays what the PH is... now according to his page, it seems like it's something that reads PH and is hooked up to a PH controller. The PH controller then shuts off the solenoid, which shuts off the CO2. So a PH probe is a whole different device which includes a controller am i correct? Are PH probe systems universal or would i have to buy a brand specific one for my H&S unit??

-Does that aquariumplants.com regulator unit come with that solenoid thing mentioned in his page that stops flow from the CO2 tank in the event of outages?

-This H&S unit has some sort of pump attached to it. This is the circulation pump right? Jeremy said I'll need to use another pump to feed water into it from my sump. How powerful of a pump would i need?? Also, what I find strange is that all this water is being pumped into it, and only small drips are being output back into the sump, wouldn't this be hurting the pump???

-The aquariumplants.com regulator unit is awfully expensive($189.99) and i see a lot of other cheaper units. What does this unit do that others don't??? I don't mind paying extra if the difference is worth it.

Thanks Guys!
 
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bimmer88 said:
ok... so i bought Jeremy's reactor and I'm trying to figure out more how these things work and I'm a bit confused by what I'm reading... i've been reading up at this page on melev's site:

http://www.melevsreef.com/calcium_reactor.html

-According to his page, the CO2 lowers the PH and causes the media to dissolve(which is supposed to raise my alkalinity)... however, he mentions that what drips out of the reactor is at a PH of 6.5-6.9... my tank's PH is 8.2... if what it's putting out is lower on the PH scale, wouldn't this be lowering my alkalinity instead??? higher PH means higher alkalinity and lower PH means more acidic right???
Lowering the pH inside the reactor makes the water more acidic, dissolving the media. This leaves you with water that will have a lower pH entering the system, but it's also super alkaline, increasing the alkalinity of your tank. It will also add calcium and other trace elements such as Magnesium to your tank. Your tank will easily compensate for the pH entering the system unless you're adding too much CO2, then you'd need to decrease the CO2 into the reactor or decrease the drip rate coming from the reactor

-I'm more confused about what a PH probe is after reading his page... prior to reading it, i just thought a PH probe is something that displays what the PH is... now according to his page, it seems like it's something that reads PH and is hooked up to a PH controller. The PH controller then shuts off the solenoid, which shuts off the CO2. So a PH probe is a whole different device which includes a controller am i correct? Are PH probe systems universal or would i have to buy a brand specific one for my H&S unit??
A pH probe is simply the probe that goes into the top of the reactor, or you can also have one in the tank or sump to monitor the tank itself. The probe can be connected to either a monitor or a controller. A monitor will only tell you the pH of whatever you're measuring with the probe. A controller allows you to turn something on or off based on the settings you choose. For example, you can set the controller to turn on/off the CO2 regulator at certain levels. Another way to set it up would be to use an pH controller on the tank itself by placing the probe in the sump. If the pH of the tank drops beyond a certain level, you can have it turn off the regulator allowing the pH to come back up to normal levels before allowing the CO2 to come back on. You can buy any pH probe/monitor/controller.

-Does that aquariumplants.com regulator unit come with that solenoid thing mentioned in his page that stops flow from the CO2 tank in the event of outages?
The regulator does come with the solenoid

-This H&S unit has some sort of pump attached to it. This is the circulation pump right? Jeremy said I'll need to use another pump to feed water into it from my sump. How powerful of a pump would i need?? Also, what I find strange is that all this water is being pumped into it, and only small drips are being output back into the sump, wouldn't this be hurting the pump???
Yes, that is the circulation pump. You can use pretty much any pump, you don't need much. Restricting the flow output from a pump doesn't hurt it. NEVER reduce the input to a pump.

-The aquariumplants.com regulator unit is awfully expensive($189.99) and i see a lot of other cheaper units. What does this unit do that others don't??? I don't mind paying extra if the difference is worth it.
Do any form of research and you'll quickly see that the Aquarium Plants regulator is VERY highly regarded. The question is simple, do you want to buy 1 regulator, or buy several after getting frustrated with each as they have a hard time giving you a steady flow. I've used several other regulators and simply thrown 2 of them away. Buy the right one the first time and have one less thing to worry about.

Thanks Guys!
Click to expand...
 
All of Jeremy's answers are right on. Understand that introducing low pH water to your tank does not mean that your pH in your tank will go down. It's at a low pH because of the CO2 which will not dramatically impact the pH of your tank. What you will do in buffer the tank more than the pH in the tank should increase overall.

I feel my reactor with a MJ1200 that I had lying around. I think I bought three of them used for $25 once upon a time. Low power and works great. I have a Guest valve on the output tube of the reactor to adjust the flow of the output.

Ron
 
Reactors seem to be a hot topic these days.

FWIW - I agree with Jeremy's answers. Note that if you control the pH in the reactor with a pH controller and solinoid then the pH probe must be in contact with the effluent, not the tank water. That can be accomplished by tapping the reactor and putting a probe gland in or running the effluent accross the probe as it exits the reactor.

If you are using a bubble counter to control pH you don't need a pH controller. I you still want to use a pH controller/meter to monitor the reactor it should be in contact with the effluent. Problems with the reactor will be detected much faster if the probe is in the effluent vs the tank. If you use a controller it can turn the bubble counter off and turn an alarm on.

Once you have a stable pH in the reactor you have to get a stable drip rate through it. A variable speed dosing pump with a 10-100 ml/min range works best. After that most people use a needle valve or irrigation system drippers. Both tend to clog a log more than a doser does.

Check valves always fail. Always put a 500 ml resevoire between the CO2 tank and the reactor so water can't back up into the expensive gear and ruin it.

I'm a fan of running the effluent through the protein skimmer to blow off excess CO2.

EDIT: if you already have a tank controller (AquaController, etc.) then you already have a pH controller. If you're already using the pH probe in the tank buy an expansion unit for your controller. Also the ORP socket on some controllers can be configured as a pH socket. You might consider converting it to a pH probe for the reactor.
 
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I like the effluent into the slimmer idea. Mine goes into the water change chamber and goes offline for a few hours during water changes.

The $2 valve seems to be working as well as a $75 Dosing pump. Is the problem that I'll need to vinegar bathe it once every few months? It's consistent enough with the $10 pump that the ph in the reactor is rock solid.

I couldn't find my Elos Alk test so I haven't measures effluent Alk yet. I ordered a new kit and it isn't here yet.
 
Check valves always fail. Always put a 500 ml resevoire between the CO2 tank and the reactor so water can't back up into the expensive gear and ruin it.


Brian,
Sorry if you already answered this but what do you recommend using as a reservoir?
 
I just have a little air chamber with some fluid in the bottom of it on mine.. I've never seen the water level rise in that chamber. Is the $200 regulator immune to this problem?
 
I have one for my planted tank and I just had to send it in after 3 months of use. The LPG would creep up then needle out when the power was turned off. After I disconnected it and shipped it off I came home and water was puddling around my CO2 tube.

Took off the check valve and I guess it failed (3 months old) as I could blow through both sides. This valve is the one ap.com refers to as the worlds best check valve. They said they had never heard of one failing before and they promptly shipped me another. I am guessing that this check valve failure is what damaged the regulator but as of yet I haven't received word back on it yet.
 
I cant speak for the other brands listed but I have a Korallin reactor. It came with a bubble counter and intake pump that pressurizes and circulates the media chamber. All one neat and tidy unit. I have 3 years on it now and love it. The only PH probe I am running monitors the tank PH. BTW I have an M3 reg. I have to clean the effluent needle valve every few months. Sometimes 6 months. This system was put in place so I could stop buying B-ionic for my 120G.

http://www.marinedepot.com/calcium_reactors_korallin_kalkreactor-ap.html
 
Hey Dave

I glue 3" acrylic plates on a bit of 2" OD acrylic tubing, drill 2x 3/16 holes in one plate and then glue 3/16 ridged airline tubing into the holes. There are probably easier ways to do this.
 
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